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Saturday, January 25, 2014

Movie Review - Hellhounds

“Notions of
chance and fate are the preoccupations of men engaged in rash undertakings.”

- Cormac
McCarthy

After
finishing the film Hellhounds, I
believe I can fully understand why writer/director Eric Widing chose this quote
to begin his movie.In Hellhounds we see through the eyes of
Ross Graves.As the movie progresses, we
learn that Graves is being hunted by a group of demons known as Hellhounds as
the result of a deal he rashly made.To
say too much more would risk giving away the true impact of this movie, which
is the way the story unfolds through the perspective of Ross Graves and the
fantastic film-making talent of Eric Widing.

A dream-like
quality permeates throughout the entire film as we join Ross on the run from
his demons.For the first third of the
movie, it is hard to be sure exactly what is going on, but sticking with it is
well worth the wait as everything begins to come together.Soon, we begin to see that Ross is being
hunted and is on the run from his own past, some of which he can’t even
remember.Every rash choice he makes
worsens his situation and brings the Hellhounds closer.

The
performances are very well done and range from good to great.Josh McElfresh plays the protagonist, Ross
Graves, and does a fantastic job of portraying a man who is struggling to grasp
what is going on while existing in a dream-like state.Even though he is the lead character, we do
not see McElfresh on screen much since the majority of the movie is shown from
the first person.This does not prevent
McElfresh from really selling the role throughout whether we are seeing his
actions from a third person view, or simply hearing him interact with
others.Another excellent performance in
the film is given by Erin Ryan.Those
who have seen Ryan’s previous films know that she tends to play likeable
characters who we quickly become invested in throughout the film.Immediately from her first appearance on
camera, we can see that this will be a very different role for Ryan.Living, her character is aggressive and completely
contrary to her typical character as well as her real-life personality.As a demon, Ryan, with the help of fantastic make-up
work, will haunt your nightmares.This
is a performance that really gives Ryan the chance to prove her range as an
actress and the vast talent she possesses.

Perhaps one
of the most impressive things about this film is the amazing make-up work.Each of the Hellhounds is outstanding and
demonstrates a real attention to Widing’s uncompromising vision for his film.These are creatures straight out of our worst
nightmares.In addition to the great
make-up, Widing’s use of a mixture of color, black-and-white, and inverted
colors in the various scenes add a surreal nature and an added layer of quality
to the Hellhounds.His shots tend to be
very deliberate and artistic, taking notice of the smallest elements around the
characters, drawing your attention right where he wants it throughout the
film.Widing’s use of light and dark
contrast are another demonstration of his skills as a film maker.He maintains the dream-like state of the
movie by exposing the elements on which he wants to focus and creating the
atmosphere he desires by not limiting himself to a single method of color and
filming.The blood and gore effects are
decent and become more impressive when you realize that Widing made this film
on a very small budget.

When you add
in the music, the film really comes together as a great work.The tone is set carefully in each scene by
lighting, color styles and choice, the hard work of the actors, and the music which
ties it all together, better allowing the viewer to experience Ross’ emotional
and mental state at any given point in the film.

I will not
say that everything was perfect.A few
minor criticisms do stand out during the film.The character of Ed Thorton is never really fully explored.By the end of the film, I am still not sure
if he is the devil or just another demon.The performance given Sonny Burnette as Ed Thorton comes off a little dry
and unemotional.It is possible that
this was what Widing intended, but it seems like the character could have been
more animated.The pacing is a little
slow at times, but the payoff makes those moments well worth the wait and adds
to the overall build-up of the movie.There
are a few spots where the blood effects seem a little overdone, particularly in
Erin Ryan’s death as the blood that flows from her mouth looks too thick.Finally, at a few points in the film, it can
be difficult to follow the action, as it does not seem to always follow
chronologically.However, if you
continue to stay focused on the film, most things do come together and make
sense by the end.

Overall, I
was very impressed with Eric Widing’s work on this film.He obviously had a very clear vision for what
he wanted to do with this movie and he pulled it off well.Even with my minor complaints about the film,
I would definitely say that it is a great addition to the horror genre.One thing that must be kept in mind before
major complaints and critiques are made regarding this movie is that Widing was
working with a budget of $400 in producing this work.That’s right, I said $400.For what most people spend on two car
payments, Eric Widing managed to create a surreal vision of horror to share
with fans.When you take that into
consideration, it elevates your appreciation of this movie and what Widing
accomplished.I would challenge those
who are critical of this movie to do better.If you are looking for a high budget blood fest filled with
multi-million dollar special effects and editing, this movie is not for
you.If you are looking for a unique
horror movie that will grab you and not let go until the end credits, you have
found it.Let’s just hope that this is
only the first of a long list of movies to be created by such a talent film
maker as Eric Widing.